


Same as Usual, Then?

by Super_Lu



Category: Monster Hunter (Video Games), Original Work
Genre: Action/Adventure, F/F, Hunters & Hunting, Monsters
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-26
Updated: 2018-08-26
Packaged: 2019-07-02 19:58:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,335
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15803538
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Super_Lu/pseuds/Super_Lu
Summary: Mari, an experienced hunter, rides off to the desert to find her latest prey for her guild. Unfortunately, she might have bitten off more than she could chew (Heavily inspired by Monster Hunter World, which I saw the trailer of and desperately wanted to write a hunting story).





	Same as Usual, Then?

Mari chugged the little water left in her canteen, her tongue desperately scrapping the little droplets that clung to the metal. The desert heat was too unbearable for Mari, the unrelenting sun making the sand beneath the sand sled burn like hot coal. Even in shade the wood scalded like a hot pot, and the breeze only brought warm air. The only plus side was the heat dried her very sweaty clothes that swung gently with the wind, a clothes line made from some extra rope lying about. Her sail, now improvised roof, did little to stop the sun’s onslaught. Mari could only lay her almost naked body on the wood, hoping a cool breeze would eventually come about.

Bored, Mari stood and fished out her sword, being used as a hot plate to cook some small lizards she had caught. She shook the cooked meat onto the wood, stabbing her sword back into the sand while she devoured her fill. Even if she had to use her treasured sword in such a way, she would do whatever it took to survive in this desert until her task was complete. To leave now just because she was low on supplies and moral would be an insult to hunters over the world, and above all else she couldn’t live with herself. Burping, she threw the bones across the sled’s floor, to join the rest of the mess that had accumulated with her week stay. 

The sand sled was something Mari was quite proud of, the idea all her own and the design by one of her older hunter friends. It was pretty much a tiny sail boat with a few added features to make it adaptable for land. The only issue, Mari realized much to late, was as fun as it was too skirt around the desert with ease doesn’t make it the most comfortable of places to sleep. It was also unfortunate, Mari lamented, about her bad habit of not picking up after herself. Her gear was tossed about the deck, some placed carefully for later use and most others tossed about wherever Mari had set them after weighing anchor.

Her armor sat neatly right under the mast, collecting dust and sand as it went unused. Two knives stuck out from the mast, a pair of goggles hanging from one and a silk scarf the other. A small bag of gems sat dangerously close to the edge, their red color gleaming brightly. Empty ration boxes and whetstones laid about the deck and the sand, thrown carelessly as time wore on. Her clothes sat untouched, covered in sand and sweat, Mari abandoning them early on in her hunt.

Mari stood, going to the back of her sled to check on her favorite toy to make sure it was in working order. At the very back of the sled sat a huge metal fan, the blades lazily blowing back and forth with the breeze. In the center of the monstrous machine was a tiny green jewel that lit up with every rotation, before going out just as quick when the blades came to a halt. She spun it a few times, seeing the jewel brighten up and a gust of wind come out towards the sails, the canvas blowing gently. Satisfied, she patted it affectionately and walked over to the starboard side of her sled, pulling off a drape that covered her other favorite item she bought. She sighed, happily hugging the giant cannon that was bolted to the side of the sled, its black steel body only a little bit hot thanks to the tarp covering it. Mari checked it over thoroughly, examining the crimson stone on its side and that the harpoon lodged in was still in place. With another satisfied nod, she stretched out before falling back onto the deck, her eyelids getting heavy from the mix of meat and heat.

“Any luck out there?” a muffled voice called out from somewhere on the deck. Mari crawled around, digging and shoveling junk out of her way until she graped a rock, no bigger than her hand, the glowed with a dim lime light.

“Nothing yet.” Mari sighed, looking out at the endless desert. She slammed her head, frustration heating her up as much as the sun. “Don’t you dare say ‘I told you so’ Lucy. You know I hate that.” The voice from the stone laughed.

“Looks like I don’t need to say anything if you’re already thinking it.” Mari harrumphed and Lucy laughed again. Lucy has always been by Mari’s side, the two growing up together in the same village and eventually became hunters together. Mari looked down at the gold band around her left ring finger and smiled, remembering their wedding only a few months back at the guild hall. Her heart skipped a beat with the memories, her stomach feeling like butterflies where dancing about.

“So what are you wearing?” Mari asked, her face grinning from ear to ear.

“Just the same ol’ things as always.” Lucy joked, her wife frowning with frustration. “What about you?”

“Not much at the moment. It’s a bit too hot for clothes.”

“That tends to happen when you spend a whole week in the desert honey.” Mari laughed, the sound of her lover’s voice tending to her weary mind. If it meant getting back to her, maybe leaving now wouldn’t be so bad.

A boom that rocked the sled and broke the peace of the dead land shot any thoughts of romance from her mind. Mari shot up and grabbed binoculars, climbing the mast all the way to the top to spot the sudden disturbance. It took only a glance to see the pillar of sand shooting up to the east and continuing its way at super high speeds. 

“I’ve got to go!” Mari yelled, grabbing her clothes and armor, dressing quickly before the trail went cold. Dressed, she snapped her belt on and holstering her two knives into their sheaths; closing the pouch of jewels and tying it onto a lose strap.

“Be careful!” Lucy shouted, her voice sounding very worried. “I love you Mari.”

“Love you too.” Mari answered back, placing the stone in hand into another pouch on her belt and spinning the fan with all her might. The jewel within began to glow, helping the blades spin faster and faster until a huge gust burst forth. Mari released the sail, the canvas catching the wind and starting to lumber forward over the dune. Mari ran back to the front, grabbing her sword from the ground and locking it onto the back of her armor, grabbing hold of the wheel.

“Let’s go!” she called out, releasing the anchor and sending the sled flying forward, the rising plume of sand still easy to see from so far away.

The sled easily cut through the desert sand like a knife through butter, flying over dunes and skating on the golden sand. In no time Mari was on the tale end of the plume, sand being thrown high into the air. Mari pulled down her goggles and covered her face with her scarf, steering her sled away from the pillar and trying to get as close as possible to it’s left side without capsizing. A roar echoed under her feet, the ground shaking and breaking apart as a giant steel fin pierced through the sand and rose high into the air.

As the fin rose higher, the desert floor distorted more and more, rising up and throwing waves of sand in every direction. The giant sand whale had finally risen to its full height, towering close to fifty feet up and double as long. Its scales glistened like metal, easily cutting through the earth like it was a mild inconvenience. It moved back and forth, swimming through its territory without worry. Mari, on the other hand, struggled to keep her small sled from being thrown by the sand being thrown of the monster’s path.

Gripping her wheel tight, Mari got the ship steady enough to pull farther off to the left, making sure she was at a safe enough distance to not worry about her sled. Mari smiled, locking the wheel to keep the ship stable. She ran over to the starboard side, taking out a small red stones from her pouch, giving it a good slap against her armor. The jewel began to glow in her hand, blinking with crimson light and getting faster with every moment that passed.

Mari grabbed onto the cannon and aimed it right at the giant monster’s side, the steel harpoon at end gleaming dangerously in the sun. She took a deep breath, slamming the jewel in her hand against the one on the cannon, the small jewel making a small pop in her hand while the one in the cannon let out a gigantic boom. The harpoon sailed through the air with ease, a chain attached to the end jingling as it was dragged forward by the explosion. It met its mark, digging deep into the monster’s side and hooking its barbed hooks through the beasts insides. The whale roared, the sound so powerful shards of wood shot off from the planks of wood and causing Mari to crumble to the deck, her ears ringing in pain and blood dripped slowly from her ear drums. 

Mari shook off the dizziness, stumbling back to the wheel and unlocking it. Now tied to the whale the sled jumping roughly against the sandy sea, at the mercy of the monsters movements. The cannon grunting as it was pulled, the chain tight as it could be. Mari took a tentative grab of the chain, feeling how taut it was. Satisfied, she grabbed onto one of the large links with her hands and leaned forward towards the edge of the sled. She kicked her legs up next and quickly hooked them around the chain, slowly inching her way up like a sloth.

Mari tried her best not to cry; the roar of the moving sand reminding her of how close she was to death at a moments notice. The constant swinging of the chain made it painful to hold, her hands feeling sore even with her thick leather gloves. Grunting, she continued her assent up the chain as fast as she dared, hoping the beast was too preoccupied with the pain of the harpoon to really notice her. 

Her hands finally grabbing something solid, Mari let out a sigh of relief as she took the end of the harpoon in hand, lifting herself up to sit on the edge and take a deep breath. Mari gasped at the view in front of her, even with her seat constantly moving up and down and the blood of the beast leaking around she couldn’t help but be mystified by the golden sea in front of her. Even a land as dead as this one held some beauty, and for just a moment she wanted to experience it for herself. The moment passed, Mari looked back to her task and thought for a moment. Her hand on her chin, she sat for a long while while looking forward at the monsters head.

Shrugging, she grabbed her two daggers from their sheaths and placed her right handed one against the monster’s scales. Thought it was tough, her dagger slipped easily in between the scales and right into its body, the monster not even noticing the mosquito bite.

“This is a bad idea.” Mari reminded herself, pushing off the safety of the harpoon and dangling dangerously off the beasts side. Using the momentum of her fall, Mari swung her body to the left and stabbed her second dagger into the monster. Holding herself steady, Mari took out her left dagger and stabbed again followed by her right hand. Left, right, left, right she inched along, her armor scratching the monster’s iron scales. Sparks shot up as they touched, Mari sweating with the thought of what would happened if it even passed her unprotected body. So close to it’s body, Mari could feel every breath the beast took, its huge body expanding ever so slightly as she made her way up to its neck. Occasionally it’s breath would cause a dagger to push too far out, Mari using all her strength to plunge it back in before sliding out completely.

Stabbing her way across the monster’s side, she gained a good enough pace to reach up to the great beasts neck, her feet having a hard time finding a steady place to stand as the monster moved back and forth. Mari was quick, tying a rope to end of one of her daggers and plunging it into the monster again. Feeling it slide in easily, she pressed a small button at the end of the hilt. With a click, the blade inside the monster split in two, hooking tightly in the whale’s flesh. She tightened the rope around her waist and pulled it, seeing the dagger locked into place without flinching.

Mari kneeled for a while longer, her eyes drifting to her left hand. Curling her hand into a fist, she stood up and took off the sword from her back, ripping the pouch of red stones from her belt and slamming them against her armor; their glow so bright that the leather pouch couldn’t contain the light. Taking one last breath, Mari ran as far across the monster’ neck as she could, before jumping off and running across the side.

The rope went taut, the dagger struggling to hold up Mari’s weight as she ran across the side of the whale. She screamed as loud as she could, feeling the adrenaline kicking as her target rapidly approached. Turning her sword over in her hand, she slashed a deep gash across the monster’s gigantic eye. The monster jumped in the air and wailed in pain, the sound almost knocking out the hunter running across it’s face. Mari ran on until the rope snapped tight, the hunter turning around easily and running back the way she came. The whale, finally recognizing some thing was upon it, gave a mighty shake of its giant body. Its scales flared out, creating a wall of blades just waiting for whatever was on it to get torn to shreds. Mari cursed, putting her armored arms up to protect herself from the incoming storm of metal.

Sparks flew as the scales collided with Mari’s armor, some of the sharp appendages slipping past and cutting though the leather effortlessly. Mari could feel the scales easily cutting into her skin, the armor luckily bulky enough to keep them them from slicing her organs apart. The sound of a snap shot through the endless noise of moving earth and howling beast, Mari realizing her rope had not been as lucky as she had. Her run stopped suddenly, all her forward momentum lost as she fell toward the ground.

Mari was no longer thinking about the whale or her impending end. She thought about how she would miss the guild beer that tasted like dirt, but was bad enough you wanted to try more. About how she wouldn’t get back that loan from that young kid that just joined and needed some money for some new armor. About how she wouldn’t feel Lucy’s hand upon her cheek or her lips as they kissed under the fading light of twilight.

Mari shot her right hand out, still holding her sword, and plunged it right into the beast. She felt her shoulder pop and pain well up, her screams muffled by the monster’s own roar. Grabbing with her left hand, she pulled herself back up and stood on the hilt of her sword, her legs wobbling with every move the whale made. 

“So close…” she muttered, looking up at the eye just above her head. Her left hand burned, Mari looking down to see she still held the pouch of jewels, their glow so intense it burned to look at it. Grimacing, Mari knew the only way out of danger was up. Grabbing a hold of the scales that still jutted out of the monster, she began to climb. Her hands and body were cut up, her arm throbbing with pain and she still climbed up. The monster roared again, shaking violently. Mari gasped and pushed her body into the scales that easily pierced her armor and into her belly and legs. Mari’s vision went white but her body took her up. When she could see again, she was right next to the monster’s wounded eye.

Mari screamed, making a fist with her left hand that still held the pouch, shoving it deep into the monster wound. The whale cried out and gave one last shake. Mari flew like a rag doll through the air, her body so beaten and hurt she didn’t have the strength to hold on anymore.

“Just die already!” Mari screamed with the last of her strength. Falling quickly, Mari was hoping the sand would give her a quick death, yet when she finally reached the ground it was not hot sand that awaited. She groaned as her body landed on thick wood, the monster’s final shake sending her far enough to land right back where she started. She couldn’t help but chuckle, not knowing which god to thank for the stroke of luck.

The beast roared again, it’s cry on of victory, it’s song cut short by the boom that exploded in it’s eye, silencing the beast forever . It rocked back and forth as if unsure of where it wanted to die before settling with the right, launching Mari and her sled high into the air; the area covered in a dust cloud.

The desert was silent again, the echoes of the whale’s final victory slowly disappearing into the emptiness. Mari struggled to stand, the remains of her sled sliding off her armor and plopping onto the soft sand. She looked about, her eyes clouded with pain but still searching for something. She stood, holding her stomach wound and limping to the pile of wood that was once her sled. Digging through, she found a small lime stone dimly glowing.

“Lucy,” she said into the stone, “please tell everyone we need a clean up.”

“Mari?! Oh my god we could hear the explosions from here! Are you okay?!” Mari looked down at her bleeding stomach and her felt the numbness in her right arm moving down to her finger tips. 

“Could be better…” she mumbled, her eyes become heavy. “Just…get here quick.” Lucy called for her lover, but only received silent, Mari drifting off into a pain induced slumber.

* *

Mari’s body ached. Her sides felt like they where on fire and her arm was completely numb. She tried to raise her head, but felt something push her back down onto something soft. She tried again only to be gently pushed once more. She cracked open her eyes, the dazzling orange of the setting mixing together with the approaching night sky. Lucy’s face appeared suddenly above her own, her green eyes a bit red but a smile on her face.

“Hi.” Lucy said

“Hey.” Mari replied with a smile, leaning up to kiss her lover. “What happened?” Mari asked, pushing of her wife’s thigh and looking back to where the monster fell. Already her guild mates where cannibalizing the beast, taking big knives to its body and taking it apart piece by piece. A few of her friends saw her rise, and gave a loud cheer for the conquering hero. Lucy sighed and she stood up, her wooden leg creaking with the effort.

“You did something really stupid, love.” Mari shrugged, Lucy helping her too her feet and carrying her to the guilds new trophy.

“So same as usual then?” she asked, Lucy rolling her eyes as the two embraced at the end of twilight, the last lights from the sun shinning off the whale’s body.


End file.
